‘Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine’ Tries for a Rich Portrait

Danny Boyle’s biopic about Steve Jobs received a fair amount of attention when it came out in October, mostly because of its poor showing at the box office. But another film about Jobs also had a theatrical run, though brief and limited, the month before: Alex Gibney’s documentary “Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine.” On Sunday, Jan. 3, CNN gives it a broader audience at 9 p.m.

The film starts with images of admirers mourning Jobs’s death in 2011, gushing overstatement thick in the air. “Jobs has proven to be the one and only person in the world who can create technology products that people love,” Al Gore tells a crowd.

But the film is no hagiography, going on to explore the myths Jobs created for himself and Apple, ones sometimes contradicted by his own behavior. “Behind the scenes Jobs could be ruthless, deceitful and cruel,” Mr. Gibney’s voice-over says, “yet he won our hearts by convincing us that Apple represented a higher ideal.”